We Can Run
by River Tam
Summary: -Star of David rewrite- When Gordo gets into an accident that leaves him in a coma, Lizzie has to learn to live without him. But now with other factors involved, it won't be easy. -Rated for themes/R&R-
1. Let Me Pull You Through

**We Can Run**

_Let me pull you through; let me sink down with you. – "We Can Run"; Jade Valerie_

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><p><em>Glass crashed all around him<em>, flying into the car. He kept his eyes closed; his arms raised and crossed in front of him when the other car had impacted. He could feel shards of glass cutting his cheeks, his whole body being thrown backwards from the force of being hit. He was doing thirty something when the car had run into his, the other car doing _clearly _over the speed limit.

His eyes tightly shut; he laid backwards, blood flowing down his face. Dizziness overwhelmed him; he barely had enough strength to climb from the car. The other driver was frantic in the middle of the street. He paused for a moment, adrenaline likely being the only strength he had at the moment. He could feel pain radiating from every pore of his body. He scribbled down his information, only to have his hand tremble too much to read it.

Instead, he went around and used his phone to record on video all the different details for insurance purposes. He clicked the end dialing button and stared at the other driver, blood still trickling down his face, into his eyes. He brushed it away and felt his body sap of strength. Looking away, he whispered something incoherent. "Well, this isn't good…"

And just like that, he passed out in the middle of the wreckage.

* * *

><p><em>Lizzie was in the middle <em>of washing dishes at work when she heard her name called by her boss. She dried her hands and went to answer the phone. Her breath hitched when she heard the voice on the other end. "Roberta? You haven't talked to me since David left for New York."

"He came home last night," Roberta replied, her voice trembling. Lizzie could tell something bad had happened. "He was on vacation from school, so he came home to visit. Oh, Lizzie, it's so terrible."

Lizzie lived in Pasadena now; she hadn't seen anyone in Gordo's family since he left for college a few months ago. Lizzie hadn't told Roberta why she moved, she didn't want the family to know. In fact, only Gordo knew, and even then, it wasn't something she was proud to admit to. Fear clenched her heart when she listened to Roberta's confession on the other end. "He was in an accident."

"An accident?" Lizzie asked, dumbfound.

"He said it was absolutely crucial that he saw you, something about you understanding perfectly fine what he was talking about." Roberta didn't need to outright say that she blamed Lizzie; it was clear in her words.

Graduation was nearly five months ago, Gordo left four months ago for college. If Roberta couldn't figure out why it was _crucial _to _see _Lizzie, she couldn't figure out how to explain it. "How bad was the accident?" She inquired softly, pressing a hand to her swollen stomach very carefully. She knew that any bad news could be fatal, but she also knew she couldn't live without knowing what happened to her child's father.

Roberta murmured something to Howard, clearly holding her hand over the receiver so Lizzie couldn't hear. When she came back on the line, Lizzie's boss was yelling about her needing to go back to work. Roberta continued speaking, her voice harsh, and likely fighting tears. "It was a head on collision. He's in a coma. Both parties are in the hospital. They said that when the paramedics got there, he was outside of the car, which is part of what saved him…had he stayed in the car, he likely would have been harder for them to get him out." Roberta paused and closed her eyes tightly, rubbing her temples. "Elizabeth, he asked for you when they found him. You guys broke up, what the hell does he want with you?"

Lizzie growled something under her breath, and then snapped at her boss that she'd be done in a moment. Grabbing a paper off the stack next to the register, she asked Roberta for the address of the hospital he was at. As soon as she hung up, she broke down crying.

Amy came from behind the counter and sat beside her best friend, resting a hand on her back. "Eliza, what's wrong?"

Lizzie stared up at Amy with tears in her eyes. "David got into an accident on his way to see me. I didn't even know he was coming. His mother resents me; she thinks it's my fault." She touched her hand to the pendant on her neck, her fingers idly twisting the star in her hand. "Amy, he's in a coma. What if he dies?"

Amy frowned and brushed Lizzie's long blonde hair behind her ears and smiled sadly. "He won't die; he's got a beautiful woman that cares about him, and a baby to come back to."

"He doesn't know about the baby," Lizzie whispered.

Amy blinked a thousand times, her brown eyes showing confusion. "How does he not know? Isn't he the father?"

Lizzie nodded and hiccupped through her next few words. "I didn't tell him because his dream was to go to college, not have a family. Family was always second to being a director. I didn't feel like it was right for me to tie him down when he didn't want to be tied down."

Amy bit her lip, trying not to say what was on her mind. Poor Lizzie had been living alone for so long, assuming this man didn't want to be a father, and yet he knew there was a reason he needed to visit her. "Eliza, he was coming to visit _you_, you said you guys broke up on bad terms."

"Bad terms don't mean we don't still love each other," She whispered, looking at her trembling hands, through blurry eyes. "At least, it doesn't mean that he doesn't still love me."

"Are you going to go see him?" Amy inquired, rubbing Lizzie's back gently. "Please say yes. He came to see you, you should go see him."

Nick screamed something about Lizzie needing to go back to work. Amy turned to him and shouted back. "Hey, now! Pregnant women need rest or they can sue! Let the woman grieve in peace!"

Those were the moments where she was glad Amy was married to the owner. "I'll go, but I can't promise I'll stay. She said he's at Mercy Hospital in Sacramento…he's an hour from Hillridge, two hours from here. Why would they send him to Sacramento and not here?"

"Maybe it was the quickest one to move him to? It depends on the injuries." Amy pushed her black hair back and watched Lizzie move cautiously. "Do you need me to take you?"

"If you promise not to ask any more questions about my relationship with him." Lizzie added as a requirement.

* * *

><p>It was only an hour long ride into Sacramento, but Lizzie had chosen to drive. Amy opened the middle consol and pulled out a stack of photographs. Staring at the first one on the stack, she gingerly touched a hand to the image of the two lovers sitting in a café. The boy next to her was gorgeous. He had shaggy brown hair that curled sporadically, stark blue eyes, and a beautiful smile. He was putting a chain around Lizzie's neck.<p>

Amy turned to look at Lizzie, blinking a few times. It was the same chain in the picture. She flipped to another photograph where it was just him in his cap and gown at graduation, the same chain adorning his neck. That was before they had broken up, so obviously the chain was his. Then it dawned on her that Lizzie wasn't Jewish. At least, she'd never let on to be. Amy went to the next picture and smiled at the black and white image of the baby. "You should show him these."

"He's in a coma, Amy. And what are you doing going through my stuff?" Lizzie grabbed the pictures and tossed them up onto the dashboard. "I'd rather you don't go through my belongings, got it? I'm not dead yet."

"Yeah? And he's not dead yet, either." Amy commented, folding her arms. "Don't you think he deserves to know about his child?"

"I wasn't going to shut him out, Amy. I planned on letting him know about his child. I just didn't think I'd see him for a few more years." Lizzie began to get caught up in the memories. She pulled over sharply on the side of the road, cut the engine and climbed out of the car, crying hysterically. "What if he does die? What if he dies never knowing he had a child? I would have to live my entire life knowing that their daddy didn't even know them."

"Eliza, stop beating yourself up over it. God works miracles. I know you're not a Christian or anything, but this all happened for a reason, trust me." She came around to the driver side so she could drive. "Get in the car; we have a boy that's waiting to see you. He did ask for you, after all."

They arrived at the hospital an hour later with a distraught Lizzie following slowly behind her best friend. She saw Roberta sitting in the corner, a photograph in her hands. Roberta didn't look up as Lizzie came through the room. Lizzie had remembered Amy saying only hours before that nothing brings families together like a child does, but she didn't move to look at Roberta.

Amy didn't move, knowing that Lizzie didn't want to show Roberta yet. The surgeon wheeled the crash cart through the hallway, a very pale looking Gordo lying under the sheets. They had cut his clothes and replaced them with whatever the hospital issued these days. She touched his cheek gingerly, pulling away when she saw the glass fragments. "I thought auto glass doesn't shatter like that?"

"Generally it doesn't," Amy answered, spying bruises all over from the accident. "What's the worst we're looking at?" Amy asked in Lizzie's stead.

"Are you of relation?" He asked.

Lizzie nodded, hoping Roberta didn't hear the lie. "I'm the girlfriend. I was told he asked for me," Lizzie whispered quietly.

"You must be Lizzie." The doctor checked the clipboard. "We're rushing him into surgery now. He's got internal bleeding from a broken rib that punctured a lung. He also suffered from a concussion, lacerations…he'll need stitches. He got off lucky, all things considered. We'll put him in a medically induced coma if the swelling doesn't go down."

"Can he hear me?" Lizzie asked.

The man nodded.

Lizzie leaned forward and whispered into his ear, much like he'd done for her before he left. She removed the necklace and put it around his neck, kissing his cheek gently. "Be strong for them, okay?"

As they wheeled him away, Lizzie noticed a nurse coming towards her. "Would you like his personal effects?"

Lizzie nodded feebly and held out her hand for the nurse to place the bag into her hands. Lizzie reached into the bag for the phone and looked at the last number dialed. She trembled. It was hers. Going through the photographs in the phone, there were several of the accident scenes. She felt very sick as she went through them.

Amy stopped her hand so she didn't look at them anymore and torture herself. Instead, Amy brought up the text messages, staring at one from Matt. "Your brother still talks to him?"

Lizzie looked over Amy's shoulder and blinked. "Not that I'm aware of."

There it was in black and white, the image of their child, followed by the text at the bottom of the message reading _Daniel Caleb_, the name she'd chosen from day one. Lizzie didn't know if she felt angry with her brother, or if she felt happy that Gordo knew. She took a step forward and looked to Roberta.

Roberta took in the sight of a now-chubbier Lizzie. She already knew there was no way that scrawny girl had put on _that much _weight in four months. The mother looked to Lizzie and smiled rather sadly. Lizzie handed Roberta the phone to look at the image. "I know we made a mistake," Lizzie began, sitting beside his mother. "But I don't see it that way. If anything happens to your son, at least there's something to remember him by."

Roberta shook her head and handed the phone back to Lizzie after forwarding the message to her own phone. "David has always been obsessed with following his dreams. To throw a wrench in that plan would royally mess him up." She took a deep breath, calming her nerves so she didn't snap on the girl. "He wanted to see you because of this, didn't he?"

Lizzie frowned. "I don't know. I didn't know he knew. This is the first I'm hearing about him knowing." She rested a hand gently on her stomach. "Daniel has been asleep since this morning; there hasn't been much activity from him."

"How far are you?" Roberta asked cautiously.

The blonde looked down at her feet. "Six months. I'm terrified I'll be doing this alone. What if he doesn't wake up by then?" Lizzie whispered. "I'll be raising his son by myself. I don't want that. I don't want to be alone. The thought terrifies me to tears."

Roberta shook her head slowly. "You have me, Elizabeth. I'm sorry for treating you so terribly in the past. We need to stick together; you might be one of us one day." She paused. "As far as I'm concerned, you _are _one of us. What did you tell him, anyway?"

Lizzie paused and smiled softly. "I told him that marrying him felt right to me," She answered. "And that if he didn't wake up, he'd never meet his children."

"Do you think it will work?" Roberta inquired.

Lizzie looked to Amy for an answer, and then turned back to Roberta. "I don't know. I'm praying it does. I gave him his good luck charm back."

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><p><em>Rewrite of Star of David; similar premise, different name. I'll keep both of them up. That way you guys can choose which you like better. I think I like this one better. Less plot holes this way. Miranda will be making an appearance, but that's going to be explained later. And it's probably incredibly evident by my stories that I love pregnancy in my fics. XD<em>

_**Read and Review, please? :)**_


	2. Who to Blame

_Don't know who to blame for what you've become. Everything thing you did and everything you gave up. – "We Can Run"; Jade Valerie_

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><p>(This whole chapter is a flashback to what happened before the accident)<p>

Gordo closed the notebook on his desk and sighed. He looked around the dorm room for any sign of life, but his roommate was passed out on the bottom bunk, a bottle of beer on the floor next to the bed. Gordo rolled his eyes. He was too young for college, being only nineteen, where everyone else was in their twenties. Or, if it was Delaware; their late thirties. Delaware – which was a nickname – was the oldest person in the classes.

The teenager stared at the photograph taped to the front of the notebook and smiled fondly at the memories. He'd used the same notebook since middle school, when he and Lizzie first started dating; he just never took the picture off after they broke up. He left the notebook on the desk and turned out the light, leaving his roommate there to sleep.

Making his way down to the dorm lounge, he picked a spot in the corner of the café, ordering a chai tea. The teenager crossed his arms and leaned back, looking to the large picture window where two brunettes were talking. One of them looked mysteriously like Kate Sanders, but he didn't go to say hi. He heard a tapping on the table, followed by a shy laugh. "Hey, Dave."

Gordo peered at the woman that sat across from him. He smiled ever so slightly. He'd been seeing Maya for a week or so, but he was afraid to tell her he wasn't interested in a serious relationship. Part of him wanted to date her, but the other part of him still loved Lizzie and he wasn't sure why. He thought moving to the other side of the country would put his feelings into remission.

Maya waved her hand in front of him. "Hello? Earth to David Gordon?"

Gordo shook his head and looked to Maya again, blue eyes catching brown in a moment of confusion. He smiled a little, pushing thoughts of Lizzie to the back of his mind. "Yeah, sorry. What were you talking about?"

"Mrs. Fletcher's class, English 103, do you have to take that one?" She inquired, sitting across from him and tapping her foot impatiently against the leg of the table. The girl watched his gaze, noticing him staring at the table. "I'll bother you again some other time," She announced, standing to her feet. "You're obviously preoccupied."

Gordo grabbed her hand absently, holding her fingertips for a moment. "Listen, Maya, I'm a little caught up in something. Don't be mad at me, I promise it will pass." He stood to his feet and moved closer to her, dropping her hand. Wrapping his arm behind her back, he brought her in for a kiss.

Maya's tanned cheeks turned bright red when he kissed her. It never failed, college life could throw everything at you, but she was still unprepared for a simple kiss. She pulled away and reached into her pocket when she heard a cell phone ringing. Sliding her finger across the screen, she blinked when it wasn't hers.

Gordo looked down, pulling his phone from his pocket and doing the same thing she had. There was a message icon highlighted in the middle of the screen. He pressed the button and stared blankly at the name of the sender. _Matthew McGuire._

Maya took a step forward and looked down as Gordo went through the motions of opening the text. The first thing that struck him was the subject; _Important. Please read._ He scrolled down, hesitantly, noticing the large thick black bar first. The image was slightly blurred. It looked as if it was a photograph of a film slide. The top line on the black image read _McGuire, Elizabeth_, and the line just below that read _Pasadena Mercy Hospital, 4/21/12._ His fingers trembled as he moved the image up.

Maya spoke first, staring at the small ball like object in a sea of black and white. "Is that a nephew or something?"

Gordo looked to her, his blue eyes shocked slightly. "I don't have siblings," Evidently she hadn't caught the name on the slide. He wasn't sure if he was grateful or scared. Then, at the bottom of the image, was Lizzie's elegant scrawl. There was a list of different _D _names, some crossed out. Eventually she seemed to have settled on _Daniel Caleb Gordon_.

Maya read the name and reread it, her heartbeat nearly stopping when she saw the name. "It's your child?"

He fell backwards into the chair and looked at Maya, blue eyes pleading for mercy. "I didn't know. She never told me."

"If you were any kind of boyfriend, you should have noticed!" She shouted, stomping from the room.

Gordo didn't stop her from leaving. He slid the screen so he could type a response to Matt.

_How far along is she?_

Matt replied almost instantaneously. He'd written to Gordo and asked him to come onto the face/talk, so he could tell him in person. Gordo went outside into the snow, standing in the back of the building, phone n hand, probably looking rather silly. "Matt, you need to talk to me right now."

"Listen, she hasn't talked to anyone since she moved to Pasadena. When she came to visit, I found this in her book as a bookmark of sorts." Matt held up the photograph that Lizzie left with the book. Apparently she had other copies. "It's from April."

Gordo clenched his teeth, fighting the rage building inside for her not telling him before he left. He'd left in June; she had more than enough time to tell him! He thought back and realized that they were in August, so that would put her somewhere between four and six months. He slammed his fist against the wall. "Why would she do this to me?"

"I don't know," Matt commented quietly. "She wasn't going to tell you, she didn't even tell us until mom asked. Gordo, I don't think she wants you to be a father."

"Too bad," He answered, slamming the phone shut. He frowned and waited for Matt to text him again. The answer came through quicker than he'd thought.

_The back of the picture says she was five weeks when this was taken. Ball-parking it, that would put her at roughly 23 weeks as of this week. Give or take a few days, since I'm not sure what day the...uh…child was created._

Gordo's fingers flew across the keyboard. Twenty three weeks, that made her five months and three weeks altogether. He stopped the reply and closed his eyes, wondering when he'd grown so careless with his heart and feelings. He deleted the text message, keeping only the one with the sonogram. Closing the phone, he stuffed it into his pocket and decided not to reply.

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><p>Gordo sat on the porch outside the dormitory, watching an old video of Lizzie that he'd loaded onto his iPod. He never really watched it, or paid close attention to it. She was dancing around in the courtyard, laughing as she went. He was following her every move with a video camera, clearly asking her questions about her future.<p>

(_Italics_ are his memories)

"_Where do you see yourself in four years?" Gordo asked, laughing as he tugged her down off of a step. He kissed her softly on the forehead and let go of her hand as she moved to the other side of him, walking backwards. "Come on, Lizzie, you promised to answer the questions."_

_She pouted playfully and held up a finger. She put one down. "Year one, I plan to graduate from high school."_

_He chuckled. "Well, you can cross that off of your list."_

_She blushed as she moved onto the next question, sidestepping the fact that they had been together for three years now. "I plan to be married by year two."_

"_And if you're not?" He asked, moving in closer._

_She pouted again. "Well, that's not up to me, now is it?" Sticking her tongue out, she ran down the courtyard, climbing onto a fountain. "Gordo, did I ever tell you what I wished for at the Trevi fountain?"_

_He looked at her curiously. "No, what did you wish for?"_

"_A future for us," She smiled. "And since we're together, we'll have that future, right?"_

"_Of course," He replied, sitting beside her. She moved out of view of the camera for a moment, and then held a flower up to the lens, blocking it out so she could kiss him passionately. "I love you, Elizabeth Brooke McGuire,"_

_She smiled and dropped the flower. "I love you, too, David Zephyr Gordon." She put emphasis on the "Zephyr"._

"_So, Mr. Hot-shot movie director, what do you have in mind for your future?" Lizzie asked, taking the camera from him and filming him for a change._

_He grabbed at her. "Give it back, Lizzie, you don't know how to work it!"_

The now-older and wiser Gordo smiled softly at the memory and looked away. Now that he'd paid better attention to it, he noticed that she was a little heavier, she smiled a little brighter, and her eyes were livelier. He wasn't sure if that could be attributed to the pregnancy, but she seemed to have a 'glow' about her.

The video was recorded the day before he left.

He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall, breathing a deep breath of cold winter air. Memories washed over him as he tried to bring back that last conversation.

_The blonde wiped her tear-streaked face and watched him moving carefully through their shared apartment, tossing things carelessly into his bag. "I've been accepted to go to New York Film School, Lizzie! Isn't that amazing?" He asked, looking down at the blonde that was now sitting on the floor crying._

_She stared up at him, her green eyes dull and lifeless. He couldn't find a breath in his body to keep his heart beating when he saw the heartbreak in her expression. "This is your dream, isn't it?"_

_He nodded and knelt beside her, pulling her close. "Lizzie, I wouldn't go if I knew it wouldn't help us. This will be what changes our future for the better. And when I come back, Lizzie, I promise I'll marry you."_

_She smiled a little brighter. "Really?"_

"_Elizabeth," He brushed her hair to the side tenderly, cupping her cheek as he leaned in to kiss her tears away. "I want you to be the mother of my children. I've loved you since the day I met you. I will never stop loving you. And I will say that I tip my hat to the keeper of the stars."_

_She smiled again, leaning into his touch. "Promise you won't forget me?"_

_He smiled that usual smile, closing his suitcase. "How could I ever forget you? You put your pictures all over everything I own. Your videos are in my portfolio…it would be impossible for me to forget you." He picked up his suitcase and stepped to the door. "I'll be back again, you can count on that. Give me a few years to make you proud."_

Tears began to prickle the corner of his eyes as he remembered the night. They'd been together in the bed when he got the call from his mother that his acceptance letter came in. He didn't realize it then that she was giving up her own dreams to be with him. He thought back to Rome and wondered if she knew how much he sacrificed for their relationship to succeed. "If you only knew," He whispered. "I'd sacrifice my beating heart before I lose you."

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><p>The plane touched down at five in the morning. Gordo got his bags from luggage claim and made his way through the terminal. He didn't want to tell his parents about the discovery. He was too ashamed to face them. They had been so damn careful, and it all went to hell in a hand basket in a matter of months. He spied his dad first, moving over to hug him. "Hi, dad."<p>

Howard took his son's hand and smiled. "Shalom, David."

Roberta smiled at her son when she spotted him, running over to give him a hug. "Oh, David, it's such a surprise to have you home so soon! It seems like you just left yesterday!"

He took out his cell phone and went to his dialed numbers, calling that number he'd memorized so many years ago. There was no answer. He turned to his mother. "Mom, I need to go see Lizzie, did you guys bring my car like I asked?"

She nodded and blinked several times. "You guys broke up when you left, what do you need to see Elizabeth for?"

"I can't tell you yet. I just know it's important, and she knows why." He looked away, hugging both of his parents. "I love you guys. I've missed both of your wisdom in my life."

Howard watched his son leave, wondering what had just happened.

If only Howard knew it was the last time he'd see his son as he knew him.

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><p>I want to address a review that I got from someone by the name of 90skiddd. You had mentioned in your review that my story was very similar to another story called "Star of David". There's a very simple explanation for that. I am the author of both stories. When I saw that I couldn't pursue the storyline from Star of David, I decided to re-write it. This was the result. I had decided since it was so drastically different from the original version, I would just post it as a different story. Rest assured, there was no plagiarism. Both are my work. :)<p>

To everyone else, thanks for hanging in there this long. I'll see if I can finish Star of David, but no promises. I'm also putting "Overcoming Insanity" on hiatus for the time being. I'll be updating "Don't Call Me Daddy" tomorrow sometime, if everything goes well. My dad let me move back in with him so I should have a bit more time to update now. I go for training tomorrow at 4, so no promises, since I won't be home until 9-ish.

Read and review, as always.

-River


	3. Fade to Gray

_We can run away, we can run away, until their faces fade to gray._

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><p><em>Lizzie sat across from Roberta<em>, Styrofoam cup in hand, blonde locks falling to shield her eyes. She looked up every so often to see the woman with a notebook and pencil, but never stopped to ask what the elder woman was doing. Instead, the blonde continued to count tiles and wait rather impatiently for the "Surgery" light to go off. They had been there for what seemed like hours. How bad _were _his injuries? Lizzie closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall, hitting her head softly. "This is all my fault."

Roberta looked up, pausing her hand's movements for a moment. She continued to move the pencil around, ignoring Lizzie's odd look. The elder woman didn't speak for some time, clearly articulating her words to say something. "I wouldn't say that I don't agree, but I highly doubt this is any singular person's fault."

"He was coming to see me," Lizzie murmured, sitting forward again, her green eyes scrutinizing on every small miniscule detail of Roberta's posture. "It was my fault."

"From what I could see, he was answering a text, so that makes it his fault," She answered, looking back up for a few moments, studying the blonde across from her. "Regardless of circumstance, he knew he should have stopped, as did the other man that hit him. There is no fault nor blame in this situation. If he comes out of this okay, able to walk, talk, breathe…be the same boy he was when he went in there, who are we to place blame?"

Lizzie pushed her long hair back and thought about it for a long time. "Why did you hate me, Mrs. Gordon?"

"Call me Roberta, please," She replied. Her sigh was heavy, her words thin. "I hated you for playing with my son's heart for so long. He spent thirteen years loving you, and you looked through him like he was glass."

"But we dated in high school…for four years, actually." Lizzie added.

Roberta shook her head. "Pity dates."

"How do you explain this?" Lizzie demanded, pointing to her swollen stomach. "Was that out of pity, too?"

Roberta's pencil froze on the paper. The woman's gray eyes watched Lizzie's hands move instinctively, protectively, around the child inside her. "Why did you keep the child, even though you knew he wasn't coming back?"

Lizzie's eyes darkened as she moved to look away. "Because somewhere deep inside I wanted to believe that he would come back. We both did our fair share of heartbreaking, Mrs. Gordon, but in the end, it's me who had to suffer."

"How is it suffering if he doesn't even know his child exists?" Roberta inquired, putting her pencil down. She'd noticed she was pressing far too hard on the page. "Is it really _you _whose suffering if he's the one who decided to let go of the one who hurt him the most?"

Lizzie ignored the older woman and stood to her feet, shooting a glare at her before she left the lobby area. "I hope you can live the rest of your life knowing that I'll be leaving town after David gets better. You won't see me or your grandchild ever again, and you can pretend nothing ever happened." The blonde hissed bitterly. "Since that's what you're so keen on."

Roberta's jaw dropped as Lizzie left the lobby.

* * *

><p><em>Matt stepped into the cafeteria<em>, looking around for his sister. The tall brown haired boy stood on his toes to see over the banister that separated one floor from the next. There was only two steps between the "floors", but he still couldn't see over the wall. He spotted her in the corner and went over to the booth, hands in his pockets, and sat down across from her. "I came as soon as class was over. Roberta told me you were probably down here."

Lizzie twirled the straw around idly in her chocolate milk, listening to Matt talk. "Thanks for coming."

"Liz, why are you down here and not upstairs in surgery?" Matt asked, hesitantly watching his sister's gaze move to the table. "Is this about Daniel?"

"No, it's about Daniel's grandparents," Lizzie murmured. "Roberta kicked me out, she told me she didn't care if I stayed or left," Lizzie looked away, tears threatening to fall. "I would _love _to be upstairs right now, waiting for him to come out of surgery, but that's not going to happen. She won't let me stay. Every time I go up there, she picks a fight with me. She says she's my friend, then starts an argument."

Matt came around the table and grabbed her wrist. "Come with me."

"No!" Lizzie screamed, pulling her hand away. "I'm not going up there."

"Elizabeth! You could miss your last chance to say goodbye to the only man you ever loved!" Matt screamed back, glaring at the people giving him odd looks. "He needs you right now, and you're going to let him down by not being there?"

"Well, no…I…Matt, stop pulling my arm!" She yanked her hand free and glared at him. "I'll go!"

"I'll be with you, they can't say anything if I'm there. Safety in numbers, you know?" He went to the steps and turned to see his sister slowly catching up. "You are _so slow_."

"You try carrying around an extra twenty pounds of weight," She mumbled bitterly, going to the steps.

Matt turned the corner and saw Howard and Roberta sitting by themselves in the waiting room. Howard must have gotten there shortly after he went downstairs to collect his sister. Lizzie didn't speak, she didn't move, she stayed by the nurse's station safely out of sight. Matt moved forward and strolled into the waiting room, hands in his pockets, sitting across from the Gordon's. "Any news?" He asked in an attempt to make small talk.

Howard glared at Matt, keeping his mind elsewhere. He had a few choice words to say to Lizzie, but none came to mind. Not in the presence of her soon-to-be-Marine brother. When Lizzie heard the deafening silence, she moved around the corner, letting her presence be known for the first time in several moments. "Matt…?"

Howard stared at Lizzie, his gray-blue eyes scrutinizing the woman's every detail. Matt went to speak, his mind reeling with different possibilities for answers. "Hey, come sit with us. You're welcome."

Lizzie moved closer to the sixteen year old and watched Howard's quiet gaze follow her movements. She sat next to her brother and looked to Roberta and Howard. Evidently no one had told Howard that Lizzie was pregnant.

"So let me get this straight, she got knocked up by some guy who clearly doesn't care enough to marry her?" He paused and went to speak, but Lizzie cut him off.

"I would think very carefully about how you speak about your son." She hissed rather bitterly. Matt put a hand on top of hers.

Howard stood to his feet to say something bitter, but Roberta's hand stopped him. "Howard…she isn't lying."

Howard's eyes got wide as he fell to his seat again, glaring at Lizzie from across the hallway. "I thought David had more respect for himself?"

Lizzie growled something before speaking again. "Do you want to know what he told me just before we went home at prom? _It felt right_. He did it because _that's _what he wanted. I wanted it just as badly. We were together for _three years_, Howard. Do you know what happened when he got his acceptance letter? _He left me_…we all knew he wasn't coming back for me. I didn't want to burden him with the added worry of a child. I did him a _favor._"

Howard went to speak again, his words harsh and sharp. "My son is _eighteen years old_, Elizabeth. He is not old enough to be a father, certainly not old enough to be married, and he will never be ready to marry you!"

This time it was Matt's turn to speak. He stood to his feet, never wavering, never faltering in his words, strong and steady as he spoke. "Mr. Gordon, with all due respect, you need to remember something right now, and don't you forget it. My sister is carrying your grandchild. Likely the _only _grandchild you will ever get if he doesn't make it. He's already been in surgery for nine hours, that's five more longer than scheduled. Don't ignore that fact. She's six months along, do you know what stress does to a pregnant woman?" When Howard didn't answer, Matt continued. "Stress can cause miscarriage, injuries to the mother, and if the child is born in a stressful environment, a very colicky child. My sister is the best damn person I know. Obviously your son agreed, or he wouldn't have nearly _died _trying to see her. Right now, all of us need to remember we're here for a common denominator; _our love for Gordo_. So if you're going to be such heartless people and tell her that she can't see the father of her child, then so be it, but I'm sure he'd feel differently."

Lizzie watched her brother, he green eyes full of tears as he spoke. "Matt, you're going to make them hate me more."

"No," Roberta quietly added before Howard could speak. "He's right."

Howard nodded. "I suppose I got so stressed out with everything going on, I forgot to remember that for nearly a lifetime, my son loved you without falter, without question, without demand…he never gave up on you."

Lizzie touched the charm on her wrist and nodded. It was a promise ring he'd given to her before he left. She couldn't wear it anymore, so it just dangled on the chain on her wrist. "I never meant for it to be this way, Mr. and Mrs. Gordon. I just wanted him to know he had my support forever and always…even if he didn't feel it."

"Roberta, what are you working on?" Howard inquired, looking to his wife's notebook with a pencil still in her hand. She held the notebook out so that Howard could see the sketch of a sleeping child. He recognized that child. A soft smile crossed his lips. "Is that David?"

"Daniel," She answered. "I fell asleep for a few moments, and I saw this little boy playing in the yard at our house. He fell asleep in the yard on a blanket. He looks just like David, of course. He has his mother's hair color and facial structure, but he has his father's eyes and smile. I suppose this is the common denominator, isn't it? We all want to see David be okay…and while the damage wasn't that drastic, it's still daunting, isn't it? Knowing that he may not wake up…may not remember us…"

Matt stared at his sister and frowned. "Lizzie, don't get upset, it's okay. Remember what I told you about faith?"

"I'm not a Christian, Matt. I'm not like you." Lizzie replied quietly.

"It doesn't matter what you believe in, just believe. Believe in him. Believe you can be happy. Believe that he'll be okay for you and Daniel." Matt added, clutching his sister's hand tightly. "Don't give up on the one person in this world that never gave up on you. Not when he needs you."

It was then that the doctor came through the large double doors, his gloves were gone, but his scrubs were pushed up to his elbows. The graying man looked between the four characters in the lobby and turned to Roberta and Howard first. "Your son's injuries are far worse than we expected. When we got inside there was a lot of internal bleeding, but most of it has been stitched. He'll likely make a full recovery if the swelling in his brain isn't too extensive," The man spoke calmly, quietly, clasping his hands together. "The witness said that he was walking around after the accident, perhaps from momentary amnesia, or adrenaline, but there is a possibility that it made the healing process much worse." The doctor looked away for a long time. "The body goes into shut down to repair itself, much like most of your healing happens in your sleep. There's nothing saying he can't hear you, but he can't respond. If the swelling is to damaging, we will need to medically induce a coma until it goes down. We've done the best we can so far. Now it's a matter of surviving the night."

Howard pulled Roberta close as the doctor walked away. Lizzie looked up when the doctors wheeled a pale-faced, dark eyed, masked Gordo from the surgical room. She stood to look at him, gingerly touching his cheek. "Get better for Daniel, okay? He needs his daddy as much as his mommy and grandparents do."

As they moved him to ICU, Lizzie turned to look at Howard and Roberta. "He's going to die, isn't he?"

"Didn't you hear what the doctor said?" Roberta asked.

She shook her head and frowned. "I didn't…I'm sorry."

Howard whispered something to Roberta and nodded to Matt to hint not to say anything. For the first time that night, they realized they needed to be there for this girl. She was the key to their son's survival. "He's going to be just fine."

* * *

><p>AN: Ages are slightly off. Lizzie would be just turning 19 (I went with September 24th, her real birthday), and Matt would have just turned 16. They're three years apart in the show (Matt was 10 when Lizzie babysat him at 13). So, yeah…I'm ripping a page from the season finale of Chuck here…don't expect anything really drastic. Also, the sentences at the beginning are all lyrics from the same song (the title is the name of the song) It's by Jade Valerie.<p> 


	4. Let Me Sink Down With You

Lizzie was sleeping rather soundly when she heard her phone chirping beside her. She made sure it was always charged, just in case if the doctors needed to reach her. She rolled onto her side and gently sat up, placing a hand to her stomach in a lame attempt to calm the restless child. Her smile faded when she saw the number on her ID. "Hello?"

The voice on the other line seemed rather perky. "Is this Elizabeth McGuire?"

She sat up a little straighter and pushed the covers away, lacing her shoes rather quickly. The nurse spoke calmly and it startled her at first that Lizzie was so receptive. Lizzie answered quickly with a _I'll be there as soon as possible_, and ran down the steps, tears in her eyes. It was six, both of Gordo's parents would be awake and preparing for the work day, but she didn't expect to give them news this devastating.

They arrived at the hospital several hours later, Lizzie leading the way. She came to the nurses' station and checked in before wandering down the hall again. She didn't get very far, since a familiar face stopped her halfway on her trek to his room. "Gordo…"

He paused and looked up at her, smiling ever so slightly. "Lizzie…" He eyed her suspiciously before looking at her stomach. "You've gotten…big."

"Yeah, well, eight months tends to do that to you," She whispered, kneeling carefully in front of him so they were eye level. She was the first person that didn't talk _down _on him. "You're going to be okay."

"I don't think so, Lizzie. I can't feel anything below my spine." He whispered, his voice faltering for only a moment, signaling a sign of weakness. "I wanted to see you so bad…"

She nodded and touched her forehead to his. "I know, and I'm here now. And Daniel is going to be happy that he gets to meet his father. Gordo, you're going to be fine. I've never seen you take no for an answer, it's not in your blood."

"Lizzie…" He whispered, his voice finally cracking. "Who is Daniel?"

She stood up slightly and looked at him in disbelief. "You…don't remember? Why you came to see me?"

"I…don't…" He looked passed her to see his mother and father lingering in the background. They wouldn't lie to him; perhaps they could fill in the blanks. "Mom…how far gone am I?"

Roberta paused and looked to Lizzie. "You've been out for two months, David."

He looked back to Lizzie, blue eyes watching her trembling hands, as she fought off tears. "You cheated on me?"

"Are you stupid?" She hissed bitterly. "I'm eight months along, Gordo, there's no way I cheated on you."

Howard gently put his hands on her shoulders and pulled her away. "Calm down, Elizabeth. He's still groggy." He stepped in front of her and put his hand on his son's, calming the shaking. "Elizabeth is pregnant with your son, David."

"I…I don't remember. I remember being with her…I don't…" He paused and shook his head, wincing in pain. "No, I don't remember. Lizzie, is it true? Is it mine?"

"You were coming to see me, to ask me that same question." She knelt down again, resting her hands on his. "Gordo, he is, without any doubt in my mind, your child."

"Mom, dad, you wouldn't lie to me?" Gordo questioned, moving back slightly.

"No, son, we wouldn't." Roberta replied softly, staring down at her son. He seemed so helpless in the wheelchair, but at least he was awake. And even with minor memory loss, he was still the same boy he always was. The mother calmly touched his cheek. "We've missed you, David."

He didn't realize how great it felt to have a familiar person there with him. Still, Lizzie's situation struck a chord in his heart. Was she lying to him? Would she honestly do that while he was in this condition? "Elizabeth, may I speak to you alone?"

She nodded and walked with him through the halls, waddling along. "I presume this is about Daniel."

"Is it really my son?" Gordo asked again, looking up at her as they walked. He felt so tiny compared to her. "Please, don't lie to me."

"He is your son. I can even tell you exactly when he was conceived," Lizzie commented casually. "Or did you forget about prom night, too?"

He mentally did the math as she spoke. "Were you ever going to tell me? I was still in college when I got into the accident…how did I end up here?"

"You were coming to see me…Matt told you…" She looked down. "Gordo, I meant to tell you, I just didn't know how…you said you didn't want a family."

"May I…touch you?" He asked, voice so tiny and mousy compared to the other movements in the hallway. She nodded, and gently reached down to take his hand, placing it gingerly on her stomach. The movement was rather powerful, even as he pushed against Gordo's hand. The child moved again before calming down. Lizzie smiled at the look of wonder on Gordo's face. "It's so…amazing. Has it been like that every day?"

"Not every day," She replied sadly, sitting in a chair. "He was rather quiet when you were in the coma. I presume it was because you guys were linked together somehow…I don't know, but it got me through the night. I hope you don't mind that I've been sleeping in your room lately…"

"No, I don't mind, I just…Lizzie, I just…" He took a deep breath and touched his chin, shaking his head. "Daniel?"

"I figured you would want a biblical name, being as spiritual as you are." She knelt beside him again, touching his hands. "What is the percentage?"

"What?" His blue eyes widened significantly from being startled. "Percentage?"

"That you'll walk again…what is it?"

"Thirty, but it isn't much. Lizzie, if you don't want to love me still, that's perfectly understandable…but…I would regret it if you walked away from me." He looked up at her, a smile crossing his lips. "Mostly because I can't run after you this time, but I would regret not being able to see my son – our son – grow up."

"I'm in this for the long haul, buddy. I'm not going anywhere this time." She answered, kissing his forehead. "And if you expect me to go anywhere, you're dead wrong. I won't walk away from you, even if you're okay and don't want me around. I'm staying around. We need you too much." She replied, taking his hand and placing it on her stomach. "Daniel needs you."

* * *

><p>Three weeks later while Gordo was at a physical therapy appointment, he heard his cell phone ring, signaling he had a missed call. He looked up for a moment, scrolling to check the number. It was Lizzie's. He didn't think much of it until he got another call from his father. He picked it up, listening to the urgency on the other end. "David, we're en route to the hospital. Lizzie is having contractions. Meet us at the maternity ward."<p>

He hung up quickly and looked over at his therapist with a bright smile. "I get to meet my son today."

"I'm happy for you, but you're not making any progress." The man whispered quietly as Gordo left in an excited hurry.

His mother walked with Lizzie through the emergency room doors just as he was coming around the corner. It was similar to when he first awoke, seeing her. But this time, she was in such excruciating pain, he wasn't sure it was the same girl. He moved to her side, grabbing her hand. "It's going to be okay, Elizabeth."

"No it isn't," She cried, bursting into tears. "It's too early!"

"Hey, listen," He whispered, kissing her hand. "A month isn't going to make or break a child. I was a month early and I came out just fine!" He could tell he wasn't helping, so he quieted down and looked away. "Never mind."

She filled out the paperwork, stopping to wince every so often. Clearly her tolerance for pain wasn't as high as his. She put a hand to her stomach gently and whispered something he couldn't hear. Likely a prayer. The nurse helped her into a wheelchair, turning to look at Gordo. "Are you the father?"

Hesitantly, he nodded a yes. "May…may I go with?"

The nurse looked to Lizzie, but she was too busy biting her lip. "Yes, I want him in the room with me…"

When Lizzie was situated in the bed, Gordo couldn't help but look away. It wasn't because of shyness, or fear, but he felt he wasn't ready to be with her. He loved her, he would be a father, he would be a husband if it so required, but being in this room didn't feel right. He looked up at her, taking her hand and holding tight. "Lizzie, I still have the engagement ring…" He took her hand and slid it onto her finger. "I would kneel, but certain circumstances won't allow me to. I love you, Elizabeth Brooke McGuire. And I want you to know I'm not leaving you until one of us dies. You're the only girl I have ever loved. The only other girl I will love as much as you is our daughter."

"I love you, Gordo…but aren't you supposed to _ask_ first?" She demanded, biting down on her lip again in a wave of pain.

"I did, before this stupid wheelchair. You said yes then, why wouldn't you say yes now?" He questioned. "Are you…not in love with me anymore?"

She leaned over to kiss him, shaking her head. "No, baby, I love you."

Six hours passed before the rest of the McGuire clan arrived. Jo tried to fight her way into the room, but the nurses held her back. Matt sat smug outside the room, smirking every time he heard his sister scream. "She's a strong girl, she'll survive."

The Gordon's watched the family in fascination, but didn't speak.

Gordo, meanwhile, stood beside his girlfriend and held her hand, coaching her along. "Come on, Lizzie, you can do this. You're tougher than any girl I've ever met before, don't let this bring you down."

She squeezed his hand rather hard, her knuckles turning white, her voice cracking as she screamed. "Why didn't anyone tell me it would be so damn painful!"

"Because then you'd never want to have sex." The nurse commented, wiping her brow. "Elizabeth, you're doing amazing so far. We're going to move you to the delivery room shortly."

Gordo touched her hand gently and kissed her palm. "Baby, you're doing fine so far."

"I don' feel so fine, I feel so tired." She commented quietly, holding her breath for a moment. The spasms weren't as close as she had thought, but still enough to cause her to waver. Gordo reached into a cup and handed her an ice chip. "Thanks."

"It's the least I could do for putting you through this," He answered, voice full of bitterness towards his situation. "Baby, this is going to be okay, I swear to you."

"Elizabeth?" The doctor commented walking into the room. "Your mother would like to speak with you, if that's alright?"

She nodded. Jo breached the doors and started gushing over her daughter _finally growing up_, and her situation. She wasn't too happy about the age, but 'beggars can't be choosers', she commented. She looked to Gordo, her green eyes full of disbelief. "You're still in that chair? I would have suspected you'd come running at the first sign of Lizzie in pain!"

"Mom!" Lizzie shouted. "This is why you're not allowed in here!"

Jo murmured a goodbye before leaving, knowing she'd crossed a line. Gordo sat droopy eyed in the corner, yawning. "Baby, I'm tired."

"So am I," She whispered, laying back down, him resting his head against her shoulder. "I think Daniel can wait until the morning, right?"

"The nurse suggested taking a nap between contractions, I can wake you." Gordo suggested.

"No thanks, I think the contractions would wake me." The blonde replied, tangling a hand in his hair. She could still feel the scars where his stitches were, and there was still minor swelling in the back that caused him to get headaches and migraines, but it came with the territory. The girl wouldn't ease up on him. "I'll be alright, I think."

"I trust your judgment."

Several hours later, a nurse arrived in the room, looking between the two sleeping against each other. "Elizabeth, it seems you're fully dilated. Are you ready? Would you be needing any kind of pain medication?"

She shook her head rapidly, trying not to look at Gordo as she did so. "I'll be alright."

"Lizzie…don't be stupid…" Gordo tried to correct her.

She turned to him, bright eyed, red cheeked, teary eyed. "No! No, I don't want to become like you." She bit her lip hard when she realized her mistake. "I'm so sorry."

"No, it's fine, I get it." He looked up at her, blue eyes misty. "But I'd like you to remember I didn't _choose _to be like this. And I'm not _choosing _to stay like this. It's a temporary fix."

"I know," She whispered.

It was at least another hour before Daniel made his entrance. The child didn't cry, prompting Lizzie to worry. "Is he okay?"

Gordo sat up as well, hearing the urgency in Lizzie's voice. "Is he alive?"

The nurse placed a squirming child into Lizzie's arms, after cleaning and wrapping him in a blanket. He nestled against her chest and moved his fists in the air. As she stared down at him in wonder, she looked over at Gordo, sleeping soundly against her arm. "Baby," He didn't wake so she left him go. Kissing Daniel's forehead, she handed him back to the nurse.

Closing her eyes, she decided it was long overdue for her nap. She gingerly moved to lay down, her back aching in places she didn't know existed. Gordo still slept by her side, his quiet murmuring keeping her calm. He never talked in his sleep before; this must have been new because of the accident. She brushed his hair back gingerly and kissed his head. "We did it, baby, Daniel is okay."

When he awoke and asked where the baby was several hours later, Lizzie couldn't help but offer him a shy smile. She was cradling her son in her arms, feeding him as he squirmed. "He looks just like you,"

Gordo held out his hands to the infant, waiting for her to place the child in his arms. Cradling him close, he began to cry. "I promised to be better by now…to not be in this stupid chair anymore. I can't keep that promise anymore, but I hope you don't hate me for it. Your mommy more than makes up for it, I assure you." He gently touched his son's cheek. "You'll be good for mommy, right? Since daddy is only half a man…"

"Gordo?"

"Yes, Lizzie, my love?"

"You're conscious, that's all I wished for." She looked away. "I wanted Daniel to meet his daddy, I didn't care if you could walk or not. He met his daddy. I got my wish. You'll get yours, too."

"I don't think so, Liz…I haven't made any progress." Gordo commented.

"Slow progress…is still progress."

* * *

><p><em>Sorry about the lack of updates. I really haven't been in the mood to write. This chapter is inspired heavily by CSI: NY, and partly by Itazura Na Kiss…and a little bit of Clannad. =)<em>

_Sorry about jumping around a lot during the birth. I wanted to cover certain plot details but not be too graphic._

_There's still more to this story, obviously._


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